87. The Sweetness of Your Words
R
When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight.
Jeremiah 15:16R
ECENTLYSpike and I watched one of our favorite musicals, Fid-
dler on the Roof,on video. Topol’s performance as Tevye is noth-
ing short of amazing. He plays the entire scale of emotions on my
heartstrings every time I watch him in the leading role.
Fiddler on the Roofis the story of a small Russian village. Tevye, a
poor milkman, and his wife, Golde, are the parents of five girls. With
no dowry for any of the five, Tevye realizes that he is facing an up-
hill battle to get these precious daughters married.
Throughout the musical Tevye is talking and singing to God. His
prayers allow the audience to take an intimate look into the thoughts
and feelings he shares with his God.
One song that combines both laughter and tears is “If I Were a
Rich Man.” In it, Tevye talks to God about what it would have been
like to be truly wealthy. He visualizes the huge house he would have
built with a fine tin roof and wooden floors. He pictures Golde with